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New talent on display at USF’s Rolland Art Center

Exhibition highlights SOCA’s MA graduates

By Eddie Torres

Fort Wayne Reader

2017-05-23

Four artists who have completed their studio and thesis requirements for a Master of Arts Degree at the University of Saint Francis have their work featured in a new show that runs through June 23. The exhibition includes work by Leah Chester (photography); Melody Ferrier (graphic design); Kristen Nuefelder (photography); and Kasey Wallace (photography).

Leah Chester’s work “Chasing Nature” is a culmination of a lifelong pursuit exploring nature, and includes a variety of nature-related themes. The images were created using digital photography and an “alternative” photographic printing process called gum bichromate. “When I discovered gum printing, the process felt meditative in a way similar to what I feel when meandering through the woods,” says Chester in her artist’s statement. “The process requires you to spend a fair amount of time re-visiting each image and, as with meandering in the woods, you never know quite what you will find or where you will end up.”

Chester goes on to say that in her work she hopes to capture “… a moment of pause… from the busy hustle and bustle of our world, a sense of being in that moment or place, and perhaps a bit
of motivation to get out in nature and discover your own path to meander…”

Kristen Neufelder’s “Canis Sapiens” is a series of images investigating the human-dog family through the context of a chaotic household full of dog-children. The images are a combination of autobiographical and fictional narratives portraying a fantastical take on reality. According to Neufelder’s artistic statement, “each piece is a composite of fifteen or more individual photographs digitally stitched together for clarity. Upon first glance the photographs appear to document single moments in time, but the subtle inconstancies in viewpoint, spatial depth and areas of sharp focus alert the viewer to question what they see.”

Kasey Wallace’s series “Hold” is about her experience with motherhood, how this new journey has shaped her identity and how anxiety has manifested itself in her everyday life. “I explore the way my home became a refuge and a prison as well as the idea of time escaping us,” she says. “I used long exposure times as well as manipulating the zoom of the lens as the image was being taken. The blurred effect is representative of how I feel like I am standing still while the world keeps moving around me. The children are growing older and life is changing, yet I feel trapped by my anxiety of time moving too quickly.”

Melody Ferrier’s graphic design work is also part of the exhibition.

SOCA MASTER’S PROGRAM THESIS EXHIBITION
May 13-June 23, 2017
Weatherhead Gallery, Rolland Art Center
Summer Gallery Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9am-5pm